“Belief comes from hard work and winning matches,” Galway United manager John Caulfield says ahead of a crucial SSE Airtricity League first division encounter away to Wexford FC at Ferrycarrig Park tomorrow (7.45pm ).
A six game unbeaten sequence in the league and a gutsy display when losing in the FAI Cup against Shamrock Rovers with a weakened team ensures United enter the closing stages of the campaign armed with hope.
“Certainly at the training ground the lads have been working hard,” Caulfield adds. “We have a new team this year, we started the first third of the season slowly. In the second part of the season we have kicked on, but we needed to do that.
“We are coming into the final third now. There are 11 league games to go, we have to be in a play off position and we need to drive on and kick on.”
Skipper and talisman Conor McCormack is available again following suspension, while a string of players are also back in contention which increases Caulfield’s options.
“We have a number of lads who have come back in since last weekend, who are available for this weekend,” he says.
“That gives good healthy competition, it pushes guys on. You need that, we need to keep our feet on the ground. Every week is a different challenge. Being professional is about making sure every day we go into training every player works as hard as he can to improve and when the matches come up on a Friday night we are able to give our maximum.
“If we do that, then I think we are in a good position, and I think we will win most of our matches. At the same time if you are not on your game or get carried away you drop points, and we can't afford that.”
Under Ian Ryan’s stewardship Wexford have improved considerably, illustrated by last Friday’s impressive FAI Cup win over Cabinteely. Ryan’s early work has been noted by Wexford with Ryan signing a new two and a half year deal at the south east club, who are building for the future.
“Since Wexford came into the league they have spent a lot of their time in the first division, they were in the premier division for a short spell,” Caulfield says.
“Obviously Mick Wallace was heavily behind them for a long time. In their own eyes they haven't competed at the top of the first division for a few years. With Ian Ryan's experience since he came in from UCD, he has turned them around very quickly. The fact they have given him a two and a half year deal after that space of time shows how impressed they are with him.
“Our league form in the last six, we have won five and drawn one. We haven't conceded in the league for five games, even in the Cup last weekend we had a number of players out, but we gave a very strong performance.
“We know how difficult it is, at the same time we will have to be at our best. We are preparing all week for a difficult match. We know what we can do too.”
United leaked two first half goals in the Cup clash with Rovers at Tallaght Stadium, but after the restart Caulfield’s charges caused the Hoops some discomfort.
“Cup football is different like that,” Caulfield replies. “Obviously Rovers showed how brilliant they were - the one and two touch play was phenomenal, their movement was really good and their rotation was really good.
“It was good for our lads, our concentration levels were very high, and they needed to be to keep Rovers at bay. Even at two nil down we kept working really hard to make sure they didn't get the third goal.
“Then as cup games can go, we got that period from 60 minutes on when we began dominating the game. We passed the ball really well, Ruairi Keating hit the post, then Alan Mannus made a class save. If either of those shots had gone in - who knows - in a cup tie anything can happen.
“It wasn't to be. Overall obviously Rovers were the better team and deserved to win. At the same time from where we are and where we are trying to get to it was an encouraging performance.”
Now the challenge for United is to deliver in Wexford as an exciting first division continues.
